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"Stimulating,
interactive, challenging"
Charge
Nurse |
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"Tremendous
impact.
I am now more knowledgeable of the issues raised"
Ward Manager |
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"Excellent,
has given information that will radically change my practice"
Criminal
Justice Mental Health Liaison Nurse |
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v Momodou & Limani, February 2005 |
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Witness
training needs regulation
2
February 2005 |
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The
directors of InPractice Training have
once again called on the government
for national guidance on witness training
in order to safeguard the legal process.
Following
a judgment at The Court of Appeal today
(Wednesday) on convictions relating
to the Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention
Centre disturbance, the issue of witness
training is under the spotlight again.
Both
the original trial judge and the three
appeal judges were severely critical
of the witness training given to Group
4 employees. It was conducted by a company
called Bond Solon, a sister company
of Central Law Training.
InPractice,
which had their witness familiarisation
programmes approved by a Crown Court
judge last year, believe it is now more
important than ever, for there to be
national guidelines applied to the provision
of witness familiarisation programmes.
Joanne
Haswell, qualified Barrister, at InPractice
stated: "The Court of Appeal has
given clear guidance as to what is and
what is not acceptable when providing
witness familiarisation courses. However,
with no regulation in this field it
is left to the courts in individual
cases to decide whether witnesses have
been coached. As in the Momodou case
this led to the evidence of many witnesses
being discarded and the case against
one of the people originally accused
being dropped altogether. Such a process
is not in the interests of justice and
wastes court time and money"
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"The
positive news to come from this judgment
is that three of the most respected
judges in the country have recognised
witness familiarisation has a part to
play in our legal system. That is to
say it has a part to play when it is
conducted professionally and ethically."
Kate
Hill, Solicitor, continued: "It
is right and proper that witness familiarisation
has been accepted by the legal system
in this country. It has a positive part
to play in providing support to people
who are faced with the ordeal of presenting
evidence in court. However we, by we
I mean all of the organisations that
provide this support, must make sure
that it is carried out in a precise
and accountable manner to safeguard
the evidence of witnesses."
The unanimous
judgment was passed today by three Court
of Appeal judges - Lord Justice Judge
(Deputy Chief Justice of England and
Wales) Mrs Justice Dobbs and Sir Michael
Wright.
For further
information contact:
Tom Cassidy or Lois Baillie:
020 7397 8460 or...
Tom Cassidy: 07771 855028
Lois Baillie: 07803 204119
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Witness
Training for health professionals
should be part of CPD
2
February 2005 |
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Following
a ruling at the Court of Appeal today
(Wednesday), which severely criticised
inappropriate witness training for criminal
trials, the directors of InPractice
Training appealed to the health care
sector to include witness familiarisation
as part of ongoing training.
The ruling,
concerning the convictions relating
to the Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention
Centre disturbance in 2002, made a clear
distinction between witness familiarisation
and witness training. The training in
this case was provided by Bond Solon
a sister company of Central Law Training.
InPractice,
which had their witness familiarisation
programmes approved by a trial judge
last year, believe it is now more important
than ever, for the healthcare industry
to include witness familiarisation as
part of ongoing training in order to
avoid accusations of training for particular
court appearances.
Joanne
Haswell, qualified Barrister stated:
"Healthcare professionals are being
called to give evidence in criminal
proceedings more and more frequently.
The healthcare sector must make sure
that staff are familiar with court proceedings
as part of their ongoing professional
development rather than preparing them
before a trial and risking
their evidence being discredited. Although
InPractice is confident that its pre-trial
training is appropriate other training
organisations have been found to be
less than scrupulous" |
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Kate Hill, Solicitor,
continued: "Witness familiarisation
provides support to staff when they
are feeling vulnerable and frightened
by the prospect of giving evidence in
court. Including evidence presentation
skills as part of ongoing training removes
the risk of being accused of training
witnesses for specific trials and is
increasingly necessary in the current
litigious climate surrounding health
professionals."
For
further information contact:
Tom Cassidy or Lois Baillie:
020 7397 8460 or...
Tom Cassidy: 07771 855028
Lois Baillie: 07803 204119
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